Designing turnover cost out of a rental before it's built: what actually matters?

Question

Most turnover advice is about what to do after the tenant leaves. We get to work on it earlier, because we build the houses and manage them, so every choice at the design stage shows up later in our own maintenance budget.

A few that have earned their place:

1) LVP flooring. A pet or a dropped pan means replacing a couple of planks, not a whole room of carpet.

2) Painted cabinet doors, the same cabinet in every unit. A damaged door gets touched up or swapped from stock, not special-ordered.

3) One paint color throughout. Touch-ups match, and a turn doesn't become a full repaint because nobody knows which "white" it was.

4) A real move-in walkthrough. Someone shows the tenant where the water shut-offs are and how to reset the GFCIs. That one conversation cuts a surprising number of service calls.

5) Uniform product across the portfolio. If someone misses one house to another tenant, they're already qualified for the next one, so vacancy stays short.

None of this is exotic. It's just cheaper to decide before the drywall goes up than to fix it at every turn.

For those of you who've owned rentals a while: what's the one material or design choice that's saved you the most at turnover? And what looked smart on paper but didn't hold up?

Richard F. · Answer

Flooring selection is definitely a significant factor. "LVP" covers a broad spectrum, I would be curious to hear about actual long term (minimum 5 years, but the longer the more useful the info) tenant use performance. I used Lifeproof in a number of units, but retired before they had much mileage on them. I learned after the fact there are a couple options for the thickness of the clearcoat layer that add to durability. No idea which option was implemented in the floors we did at the time. The really cheap stuff that is little more than thick sheet vinyl is worthless IMHO, and there are a variety of types and configurations of different LVP products.

Not a fan of painted doors, vs. stained wood. Fingernails often damage them pretty easily around the pulls. Agree they should be a stock color, but more importantly for me is plywood boxes with the wood doors. No MDF or other "money saving" options.

If by "one color" you also mean same sheen, including the ceiling, that is exactly what makes actual "competition" stand out...when they simply use different sheens for specific elements, and add an accent wall or two, either with different color or use of trim to create some interest and depth. Very little expense, for big wow factor, regardless of pricing tier of the unit.

Showing tenants the idiosyncrasies of your property is a great idea, including other shutoffs...gas, electrical, irrigation system, and how to reset/unjam their disposer to save themselves a couple hundred bucks. Be sure to provide a proper disposer hex wrench. And don't use the cheapest disposer you can find, get a decent 1/2 hp name brand. Also, if tenant is to take care of the yard, you need to clearly define the area(s) and your requirements for frequency and max heights.

You did not mention plumbing issues, yet plumbing in my experience is the #1 service call you get. Decent mid-range Moen or other proven brand with brass bodies cost the same for labor to install, yet outlast the cheap plastic products many times over. Covered on a post elsewhere, but "pull-out" sprayer attachments are a poor idea unless it is for an executive level unit. Toilets you should install only quality units with a 3 or 4 inch flush valve and minimum 2 3/8 glazed trapway, for better flushing action and fewer blockages at the toilet. Plastic trap and waste assemblies for kitchen and bath lav sinks are a poor choice. 17 gauge metal traps and appropriate fittings will last far longer, and not get knocked apart by someone hoarding items in their sink base.

Does anyone still use the cheap, flimsy, aluminum "storm" doors for their exterior? Those are worthless...even the $300 ones! They break far too easily. LL should not need to deal with that expense. Put on a Security screen door for something that is dual purpose. With a deadbolt and secure installation, it is actually a security feature, and can help keep the little kids from getting out. There are a lot of designs to find something attractive.

There are plenty of other elements a builder could actually provide that dramatically extend their actual useful life. If you can back up longevity claims with facts, you can actually convince some of the "investors" the initial price difference is worth it.

Karolina Powell · Answer

Can you give us an example of a security screen door? Thanks!

Patrick O'Sullivan · Answer

It might be worth placing the HVAC return somewhere tenants can reach without a ladder, and using the same standard filter size in every house. When it’s easy, filters are much more likely to get changed.

I’d also consider putting water heaters and washers in drain pans plumbed to a real drain. That way, a slow leak stays a small repair instead of turning into new flooring and drywall.

Harrison C. · Answer

@Alim Abrahim the one that has saved us the most at turnover is keypad smart locks on every door, including each bedroom, since we rent by the room. A turn used to mean rekeying or chasing down keys. Now the old resident's code stops working on their last day and the new resident gets their own code on move-in, all from a phone. No locksmith, no lost key charges, and a cleaner or a plumber can get a code that only works on the day they are scheduled.

If you ever build for renting by the room, two choices are much cheaper to make before the drywall goes up. Put in at least one full bathroom for every two bedrooms, because the shared bathroom is where most of the friction in a shared house comes from. And keep the bedrooms close to the same size and layout, so the same furniture fits every room and one set of listing photos tells the truth about all of them.

Richard's point on plumbing holds for rooms too. With four or five people on one kitchen sink and one washer, the brass-bodied faucet and a decent disposer pay for themselves fast.

Colleen F. · Answer

Coming into properties that weren't built to rent I would say.

• Standard thermostats
• tile bathroom floors
• don't let builders design the kitchen. The refrigerator door must not be in a corner. There should be a counter next to the stove and every kitchen should have at least 4 drawers.

Standard thermostats

tile bathroom floors

don't let builders design the kitchen. The refrigerator door must not be in a corner. There should be a counter next to the stove and every kitchen should have at least 4 drawers.

@Richard F. I don't see the advantage of a security door over a storm door. We haven't had a storm door break except by the lawn guy once and security doors don't insulate that I have seen. They are just screen and bars which I guess you need some places but I guess it is area dependent.

Matthew Tregoning · Answer

Coming from furnished-rental setups, I'd add cleaning access to the design review. Can someone reach behind the toilet, clean both sides of the shower screen and move an appliance for service without dismantling something? Those awkward little gaps look fine in photos but become recurring labor. Before repeating a layout across houses, I'd have the cleaner and maintenance person walk one finished unit together and flag the spots they can't reach easily. Standardizing a difficult detail just repeats the problem.

Daniel Jung · Answer

The walkthrough point is the one I would put first. A tenant who knows where the shut-offs are, how to reset a breaker, and what to do when something leaks will call earlier and cause less damage. After that, I would favor the same finish in every home, for the same reason you do. One paint color, one floor, and the same fixtures mean the cleaner and the handyman do not have to guess, and a small repair does not turn into a hunt for a matching part. Spare doors, handles, and a few planks kept on hand make a turn much quicker. The other thing that has helped us is a short home guide left in the house, with photos of how things should look. When the standard is clear in writing, most tenants leave the place in good shape, and the next turn starts from a known point.

Lee Futcher · Answer

Hey @Alim Abrahim,

I really like the idea of making these choices before the drywall goes up. Using one paint color and the same cabinet door in every house sounds simple, but I imagine it takes a lot of the guesswork out of a turn that needs to happen quickly.

Your move-in walkthrough stood out to me most. My wife and I have spent the past four years living mostly in short-term and monthly rentals, and moving into a new place is always a bit of a blur. You're unpacking, sorting out the Wi-Fi and finding the nearest grocery store, so a lot of what someone shows you on the first day doesn't really stick.

If I were building on what you already do, I'd leave a short home guide in every house that matches the walkthrough: a photo of each water shutoff and the breaker panel, the filter size and where the return is, and how to reset the GFCIs and the disposer, with the hex wrench Richard mentioned kept right under the sink. Because you build every house the same way, one guide could cover most of the portfolio with only a few photos changed, and your families would have the answer in hand before a small problem turns into a service call.

Thanks for starting such a useful thread,Lee

Drew Sygit · Answer

Glue down a vinyl barrier under sinks to protect the laminate base!

Most sink bases are made of vinyl covered particle board - scratch the vinyl, water penetrates, the board expands and NEVER goes back to original.

John Cafarelli · Answer

The strongest theme in this discussion is standardization, and that matches what experienced landlords and property managers often recommend for small portfolios. When every unit uses the same flooring, paint color and sheen, fixtures, and hardware, a turnover stops being a series of one-off decisions. A damaged plank, a worn faucet, or a scuffed door can be repaired from stock, and a contractor can quote the work without a long site visit.

Two design choices deserve extra attention before construction. First, access: shut-off valves, cleanouts, HVAC filters, and water heaters that are easy to reach can turn a late-night emergency into a short visit. Second, durability in high-wear areas: solid-core doors, quality LVP with a thick wear layer, and scrubbable paint in hallways and kitchens tend to hold up better than finishes chosen mainly for their first impression.

A written turnover checklist also helps, with photos at move-in and move-out, a standard scope for cleaning and repairs, and a target timeline. That record protects the deposit decision, keeps costs comparable from one turn to the next, and makes it easier to see which design choice is actually saving money.

Designing turnover cost out of a rental before it's built: what actually matters?

Designing turnover cost out of a rental before it's built: what actually matters?

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